Paul Kadetz

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Paul is a board-certified Adult
Nurse Practitioner (APRN-BC; MSN, Vanderbilt), and a board-certified
Acupuncturist/Herbalist (LAc; MSOM, Samra University, USA and internship at
Beijing University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, China) within the United States. Paul completed his DPhil in Development
Studies in the Department of International Development, University of Oxford.
He also holds a MPH in International Health and Development (Tulane University
School of Public Health & Tropical Medicine); a MSc in Medical Anthropology
(Oxon.); a BA in Biology and Psychology (NYU); a BSN in Nursing, and a
post-masters certificate in Teacher Education (Pennsylvania). He has served as
an external researcher for The World Health Organization-Western Pacific
Region.

Paul's research is primarily
concerned with healthcare equity in low-income populations and the myriad
factors perpetuating healthcare inequity, especially in terms of the effects of
political economy and ideological transfers on local level healthcare systems
and population health. His current research examines the outcomes of historical
and current Sino-African Health diplomacy at the local level in African
contexts.

Research

Traditional, complementary and
alternative medicine (or heterodox healthcare) comprises an essential component
of informal local healthcare economies and functions as a primary source of
healthcare for a majority of populations in low-income countries. The World
Health Organization has promoted the integration of heterodox healthcare
practises and practitioners into formal state and local biomedical healthcare
systems since the Declaration of Alma Ata and the ensuing paradigm shift toward
development of primary healthcare systems. Heretofore, the literature has
assumed the beneficence of this policy in reducing healthcare disparity,
without assessing the outcomes of this policy's implementation. Understanding
the outcomes of the integration of the formal and informal healthcare economy
is particularly imperative for countries that have undergone healthcare
reforms, such as the devolved healthcare system of the Philippines. This
research studies the impact of healthcare integration policy and, thereby, the
control of the informal healthcare economy on the local healthcare of communities
in five municipalities in the Philippines, as well as the ideological
assumptions embedded in the discourse of integrative medicine. The current
eradication of traditional birth attendants through the policy of mandatory
in-facility birthing for all women, provides an illustrative case example of
how healthcare integration may be affecting access to healthcare in the
Philippines. The assumptions of beneficence of healthcare integration in
reducing healthcare disparity and in increasing physical and financial access
to healthcare in low-income populations are not supported by this research.
Furthermore, this research suggests that healthcare integration and attempts to
control informal local healthcare economies may be detrimental to local
healthcare systems and population health if implemented in a manner that
ignores the particular needs of a given local context. Ultimately, this
research aims to contribute to the discourse on global health policy making and
global health governance.